The present invention relates to the field of motorized furniture, and more particularly, controllers for motorized furniture.
Reclining chairs, loveseats, and sofas are well known in the art and have become a mainstay in many households. Manual recliners typically utilize a lever or handle extending along one side of the recliner which is manually moved to release an ottoman or footrest from the front of the chair and allow the chair to be reclined into a more prone position. Some amount of force must be exerted upon the lever to recline the chair. Likewise, another force must be exerted on the lever to bring the chair back to the original position. Disadvantageously, these manually-actuated chairs can be difficult to use for certain users, such as the elderly or physically impaired.
More recently, motorized devices have been developed that provide powered movement of a chair or the like. Motorized recliners have also been developed that allow the recliner to be adjusted into various reclined positions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,107 to Crockett discloses an apparatus for elevating and lowering an entire free standing and pre-existing seating structure, such as a house chair, recliner or sofa. In particular, the lift apparatus 20 includes an elevator means 34, a power means 44, and a control means 46. In operation, a user presses the control means or switch 46 that is secured adjacent to the armrest of the seating structure and that is connected to an electric motor 92. The switch 46 can start or stop the movement of the elevator means 34 in either direction, up or down, at any point in the range of travel of the elevator means so that the user can lower or raise themselves from the seating structure.
Motorized recliners increase consumer comfort along with safety and convenience. Control of a motorized recliner is typically accomplished by using a hand-operated device that is accessible to a seated user. The user may manipulate the hand-operated controller to achieve the desired seated position. Some controllers are attached to the motorized recliner with an electrical cord that allows the controller to be moved to different positions on the recliner. Although convenient, such controllers may be dropped, or lodged in between moving surfaces of the recliner. In such an instance, switches or buttons on the controller may be inadvertently activated, causing the recliner to move at undesired times and to undesired positions when a user is not seated in the recliner. Further, control of motorized recliners by small children or persons not seated in the recliner is also undesirable due to safety considerations.
It would be advantageous to have a mechanism for shutting off a motorized recliner. More particularly, it would be advantageous to have a mechanism for shutting off a motorized recliner when the user is not seated in the recliner.
The present invention addresses the above needs and achieves other advantages by providing a pressure switch strip assembly for use with a motorized seat having user-supporting elements that support a user resting thereon and are movable relative to each other by a motor connected by a circuit to a controller. One of the user-supporting elements of the seat includes a plurality of springs for resiliently supporting the user. The pressure switch strip assembly includes a pair of elongate contact strips mounted on one of the springs of the user-supporting element. The contact strips are separated by spacers in a xe2x80x9cnormally openxe2x80x9d position that prohibits operation of the motor by the controller. Between the contact strips and the spring is a contact wire that acts as a pressure point to deflect the contact strips together when a user is resting on the user-supporting element. Deflection of the contact strips into contact with each other closes the circuit between the controller and motor, allowing control of the motorized chair by the user using the controller. A pair of the pressure switch strips may be spaced apart across the user-supporting element, each with a contact wire and mounted substantially along the length of one of the contact springs, so as to detect the user in several positions on the user-supporting element.
In one aspect, the user-supporting element includes a pair of spaced supports supporting the ends of the springs. Preferably, the springs are elongate stretcher springs having a sinusoidal pattern and are spaced apart from each other along the spaced supports. Optionally, a second pressure switch strip may be employed on a separate one of the springs.
In another embodiment, the present invention includes a pressure strip assembly comprising a pair of elongate contact strips and a contact wire. The pair of elongate contact strips are separated by spacers and have a length substantially the same as one of the stretcher springs. In addition, the elongate strips are configured to extend over one side of the stretcher spring and are further configured for connection to the circuit between the motor and the controller. The contact wire also has a length substantially the same as the stretcher spring and is configured to extend between the stretcher spring and the contact strips. In this manner, a user resting on the motorized seat causes the contact strips to deform about the contact wire. Such deformation closes the circuit and allows the user to control the motor with the controller and to move the user-supporting elements.
In one aspect, the assembly also includes a connection strip configured to extend along another side of the stretcher spring and to intermittently contact the contact strips in the interstices between the wires of the stretcher spring so as to hold the contact strips on the stretcher spring. Preferably, the connection strip is a loop strip and a pile strip with one of the loop and pile strips adhered to the underside of the contact strips, on one side of the stretcher spring, and the other of the loop and pile strips on the opposite side of the stretcher spring. The length of the contact strips and contact wire preferably extends to within 4.75 inches of the backrest.
The present invention has several advantages. The pressure switch strips are normally open, blocking inadvertent motion of the motorized chair when a user is not seated in the chair. In addition, positioning two of the pressure switch strips on spaced apart stretcher springs allows the strips to detect the user in a variety of seated positions. Such sensitivity is further augmented by the length of the pressure switch strips extending substantially along the length of the springs. The use of a contact wire between the contact strips and the wire of the stretcher springs increases the sensitivity of the assembly to the weight of the user and allows the use of seat cushions between the user and the contact strips.